Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile
[Devin Dayley]
Year Released: 2019
Director: Joe Berlinger
Stars:
Lily Collins
Zac Efron
Kaya Scodelario
Synopsis:
This film tells the story of Ted Bundy, prolific serial killer (Efron), through the eyes of his girlfriend, Liz (Collins). The film takes us through his multiple trials and arrests and allows us to see how Liz was affected through all the circumstances of her boyfriends accusations.
Review:
**This review will contain spoilers**
“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is just as it’s name describes. It is shocking! Is the movie good? Yeah, it’s good. Is it great/the best movie ever? No, unfortunately not by a long shot.
I watched an interview of Zac Efron where he says that they are not trying to recognize Ted Bundy for the things that he did, rather, their attempt is to shine a light on the women that were victims of Ted Bundy. We’ll talk about if their attempt was successful in a minute, but that was what Efron said they were trying to do.
First off, let’s talk about Zac Efron as Ted Bundy. I watched this film the night before writing this review, and I will say, as time passes I like his performance more and more. At first, all I could see was the Zac Efron from “High School Musical.” He was just so likeable, friendly, and charming that I didn’t believe he was as twisted and demented as the film accused him of being. It was, in a way, “sexifying” Ted Bundy as a person and I did not approve of that. Then, after watching footage of the real Ted Bundy, I saw just how likeable and charming he really was and appreciated Zac Efron’s portrayal more.
Lily Collins, as Liz Kendall is another character choice that I was unsure about but liked better with time. My problem is that she looks young and too “put together.” At the top of the film, when she first meets Ted, she is supposed to already have a baby. I did not believe that, at all, because of her tight, small, figure. I feel that if she had had a baby, her body would have changed to accommodate another life. But, with all that being said, what do I, a man, really know about how women’s bodies change with birth?
She also looks weak. She acted quite forceful with Ted as well as with Ted’s judge in Utah, when he called her at work. She looks too sweet to be that forceful and rude with people, even over the telephone. The one caveat here would be at the end of the film when she is trying to protect her daughter and yelling about that. I believed that. I feel like a mother, just about any mother, would get emotional thinking about their child with a suspected murderer. Overall, I thought she did a fine job. She could have looked a little more “1970’s-esc” with her hair and her clothes, but she was fine. Fine, fine, fine.
Finally, Kaya Scodelario as Carole Anne Boone. She was my favorite of the portrayed characters. I have to admit that when we are first introduced to her, I thought her wig was a joke.
It wasn’t, though. That was how people in the 60’s and 70’s wore their hair. I thought she captured the time period a lot better than Lily Collins. She did a good job at playing a, somewhat, desperate woman who was desperate for Ted Bundy’s approval and attention.
One of the things that I loved about this film, is that it keeps you guessing until the end. I did not think that he was really guilty, almost the entire film. Well, I figured he probably was but I was not creeped out by him or anything. Not until he wrote the word ”hacksaw” in the glass. The film did a great job of shifting my blame off of Ted Bundy until the last seconds of the film. You just about fall in love with the character of Ted Bundy only to have to sit and think about how this person who you “loved” and cared about was actually a sick, twisted killer. Also, can I just mention what brilliant filmmaking it was to only show the audience the “ha” part of “hacksaw" at first? It was as if they were telling us that he had no regret or remorse for the crimes he had committed.
I had heard the name “Ted Bundy” before but knew nothing about him or his case or about his life. I live in Utah, which is where a lot of Ted Bundy’s victims were from. So, obviously, I was interested and had seen publicity for this film. I enjoyed it. It was creepy, much in the same way as “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” was creepy. You kind of wanted to know Ted Bundy like the way you wanted to know Andrew Cunanan. They must have had a warped sense of the world and it would have been fascinating to know them and know their views. I would rate this film a solid 7.0/10.
Comments